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Black Issue

Daniel B. Eisen earned his Ph.D. In sociology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is currently an assistant professor of sociology at Pacific University. His research draws upon critical race theory to examine Filipino ethnic identity development, race and ethnic relations, and the ways in which parents interaction with children in regards to race. He also writes a monthly column on diversity and culture for the Fil-Am Courier in Honolulu, Hawaii. This article was origonally posted in the December issue of the Fil-Am Courier.

Election season is upon us, which brings increased hype and speculation about how a candidate will secure their party’s nomination. This often brings about discussions of how each candidate will secure the support of various racial and ethnic groups. For example, political pundits question how Bernie Sanders can secure the Black vote or how Donald Trump can secure the Latino vote.

While there are issues that disproportionately affect various racial or ethnic groups, constructing issues as “Black” issues or “Filipino” issues is overly simplistic. Every individual exists at the intersection of numerous social identities (e.g., race, social class, gender) and this combination of social statuses shapes the importance that one assigns to any given issue. I do not mean to suggest that race and ethnicity are not important in political decisions and debates, but that the reduction of race and ethnicity to single issues overly simplifies the within group differences and reinforces the stereotypes we hold about various racial or ethnic groups. (more…)

Goals

This blog seeks to contribute to the building of a community around social justice at Pacific University. This is accomplished by providing posts that (a) provide commentary on social issues, (b) provide commentary on campus issues, and (c) highlighting campus and community members, organizations, or events that work towards social justice.